A proposal to close remaining units at Wanstead Hospital will lower standards of healthcare for vulnerable people, a meeting heard.

A public meeting, organised by Healthwatch Redbridge, an independent body created by Redbridge council, took place today at Wanstead Library, in Spratt Hall Road, Wanstead.

Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) wants to close the Heronwood and Galleon unit, in Makepeace Road, and move rehabilitation services to King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

As part of the changes, it is proposing to set up a community treatment team, which will care for patients at home between the hours of 8am and 10pm, seven days a week.

The CCG insists the changes will improve the quality of care.

But Helen Zammett, a member of Wanstead and Snaresbrook Residents' Association, told the meeting the changes will undermine standards.

She said: “The number of beds being offered is not enough, and I believe this will have negative consequences on healthcare in the area which already has population pressures.”

Tara-Lee Baohm, deputy director of strategic delivery at Redbridge CCG, defended the proposal.

She said: “8am to 10pm is the peak time for the service so that is why the service is for those hours.

“Care and support needs to come in the place where people want it and this is mostly at home.

“We need a consistent quality of care, and our new community treatment team can provide this.

 “Under the new system people can access care within two days rather than five days in the previous one.”

The consultation on the proposals ends on Wednesday.

For more on this story, see next week's Guardian - out Thursday.